Carabao Cup
Round One
Cardiff City Stadium
Tuesday, August 12th, 2025 - 7:45pm KO
Know Your Opponent | In the Dugout
Swindon Town appointed manager Ian Holloway on October 25th, 2024 after a four-year hiatus from management. Holloway had a playing career that spanned from 1980 until 1999, playing for a range of English clubs. The midfielder started his career at Bristol Rovers, making 111 appearances and netting 15 goals. After spells at Wimbledon, Brentford and Torquay United, Holloway would return to Bristol Rovers (not for the last time) where he made an additional 179 appearances. Holloway then moved to Queens Park Rangers in 1991, enjoying five years at the club and making 147 appearances.
He would return to his boyhood club Bristol Rovers in 1996, with a new career path in mind as player-manager. In his second season at the club, Holloway took Rovers to the Division Two (now League One) Play-Offs. By February 2001, he was reunited with another of his former clubs, Queens Park Rangers. In his five years at Loftus Road, Holloway managed them to promotion to the second division. Holloway would then take charge of Plymouth Argyle and Leicester City. On May 21st 2009, he was appointed manager of Blackpool, who were in the Championship at the time, but nine months later reached the Premier League, with Holloway becoming just the second Blackpool manager to win promotion in his first full season.
Following his success with Blackpool, Holloway would then coach Crystal Palace. It would be a case of déjà vu, as Holloway again promoted the Championship side to the Premier League in his first season at the club. In January 2014, Holloway was appointed Millwall manager and completed the task of keeping them in the Championship. In November 2016, Holloway returned to Queens Park Rangers and steered the club from relegation.
He joined Grimsby Town in December 2019 but resigned a year later, remaining away from the dugout for four years. Since his arrival at Swindon Town in October 2024, Holloway has had a successful tenure at the club. The League Two side’s form dramatically improved in early 2025, picking up 13 points from a potential 18. After a League Two Manager of the Month award in January, Holloway was rewarded with a new long-term deal in March, keeping him at the club until June 2028.
Know Your Opponent | Current Squad
Goalkeepers - Connor Ripley, Lewis Ward.
Defenders - Filozofe Mabete, Ryan Delaney, Will Wright, Harrison Minturn, Tom Wilson-Brown, Finley Munroe, Joel McGregor, Billy Kirkman, Antony McCormick.
Midfielders - James Ball, Tom Nichols, Ollie Clarke (©), Daniel Butterworth, Gavin Kilkenny, Joe Snowdon, Jaxon Brown, Dani González-Birchall, George Alston, Darren Oldaker.
Forwards - Paul Glatzel, Harry Smith, Jake Tabor, Botan Ameen, Aaron Drinan, Billy Bodin.
Manager: Ian Holloway
Assistant Manager: Marcus Bignot
Head of Goalkeeping: Steve Mildenhall
First Team Pathways Coach: Gavin Gunning
Know Your Opponent | Season So Far
Despite the League Two side only playing twice so far this season, Swindon Town have shown that they are capable of scoring goals. In a promising pre-season, they played five games, winning four of them. Perhaps more impressively, they managed to score 17 goals across those games, with striker Botan Ameen standing out.
The Robins travelled to Walsall in their opening league match, with the game level going into added time. Despite an early goal from Walsall’s Evan Weir, Will Wright would respond with a well-placed penalty in the 79th minute. Walsall won it at the death, scoring in the first minute of injury time, with the game ending 2-1.
Swindon were back to their old, goalscoring selves on Saturday. Home for the first time this season, they managed to pick up three points and score three goals against Cambridge United. Cambridge scored an early goal thanks to James Brophy in the 4th minute, though Aaron Drinan would slot Town's first goal into the bottom right corner in the 32nd minute, before two minutes later Harry Smith would get their second. Darren Oldaker then headed the ball into the net in the 53rd minute. Sullay Kaikai scored Cambridge’s second in the 64th minute, but it would only be a consolation, with Swindon winning 3-2.
Know Your Opponent | Last Time We Met
Cardiff City and Swindon Town have met 44 times - the very first meeting was on 13th April 1932, over 93 years ago. Despite the two clubs’ long history, the last time they met competitively was a New Years Day clash in 2003.
With both teams in League One at the time, neither team got the happy new year that they wanted, with the game ending level at 1-1. Sam Parkin would put the away side ahead in the 70th minute after a close first half, before City's Robert Earnshaw levelled the score in the 89th minute.
Club Connection | Peter Thorne
It feels near impossible to talk about Swindon Town and Cardiff City without mentioning Peter Thorne. Thorne, a prolific goalscorer for both teams, burst onto the scene after signing for Swindon Town during the 1994/95 season. Thorne netted 27 goals for Swindon over his three-year spell and helped them win promotion to the First Division.
In 2001, Thorne joined Cardiff City. He would build an unstoppable partnership with striker Robert Earnshaw, and in the 2002/03 season the pair combined to net a total of 52 goals. That season, Thorne would also help the Bluebirds secure promotion via the Play-Offs. The striker netted a total of 46 goals in 126 appearances for City.